Art Portraying Medicine

• Main Author: Kaisu Koski
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Athabasca University Press 2011-01-01
• Series: Journal of Research Practice
• Subjects: doctor-patient relationship; performance; video art; binary oppositions
• Online Access: http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/259/235

A number of art projects are currently tackling the medical domain. This activity stems from a perceived need to increase the transparency and democracy of the medical domain, and it often questions the power relations and the one-dimensionality in current medical practices. This article sheds light on how artists process medical themes, elaborates on research elements embedded in art making processes, and considers the relevance of artists' projects for researchers from other disciplines. It deliberates on the author's media and performance art practice in exploring the doctor-patient relationship and discusses the artistic methods and techniques employed. The article promotes the personal, imaginative, and figurative characteristics in the discussion and signification of the body in medicine.